MALAYSIA - A FAMILY of three have to enter their house through the kitchen door at the back instead of the front door because they are hated by their neighbours, all because of superstition, Harian Metro reported.

The paper said the neighbours in the village believe the family would bring the neighbourhood bad luck.

Fatimah Abdul Hamid, 72, her sister Rahimah, 70, and Fatimah's daughter Robiah Ahmad, 37, were constantly ridiculed and spat upon after Robiah suffered mental illness and skin problems.

"We are spat upon and cursed by the people if we ever use the front door," Rahimah said, adding that they were never allowed to attend any activity organised in their village.

The three are living in a room of a relative's house, and they were told to only use the living hall and the kitchen.

"We are not allowed to touch anything that belongs to the owner of the house," she added.

The daily said the three couldn't afford to buy food; so they sometimes consume chicken feed and leftover food scavenged from the rubbish bins.

> Kosmo! reported that Federal Territory welfare department officers detained five foreign beggars on Monday after the daily exposed the activities of a syndicate which was involved in a begging scam in the Klang Valley.

The five beggars, including two women and a child, were from Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar.

The daily reported that the beggars were believed to earn up to RM300 daily from their activities.